The following article was originally printed in the November 2024 Issue of Slush. All archived issues and digital subscription options here. 

Ben Bilocq’s appeal in the greater snowboarding industry feels like something out of legend—a mystic spirit, an oracle, a wise man whose pure love for snowboarding has taken him from starring in some of the sport’s biggest projects to becoming an essential behind-the-scenes figure. He’s been a key player in Jess Kimura’s operations, from filming clips to building jumps to helping create The Uninvited events’ very fabric. Ben’s depth of knowledge and perspective in snowboarding is something you only truly understand if you’ve spent time with him. And I’ve never met a single person who’s crossed paths with him and didn’t end up  loving him.

He’s kind of like the people’s Charles Beckinsale—he doesn’t drive a cat, but he’s a Swiss Army knife in the backcountry and in the streets, and an absolute menace with a shovel. I think back to a time I was with him at Red Bull Heavy Metal, where he took it upon himself to fluff the landings and make things safer for the riders—not because it was his job or because he was getting paid, but because he noticed the attention to detail wasn’t there, and he stepped in for the safety of everyone. Some people in this industry are in it for themselves. Others, like Ben, are in it for the bigger picture—driven by a pure passion to for the greater good, for the collective, for the universal “right.”—Stan Leveille

FIRST: 

Trick you fell in love with? BS 360 tailgrab,  Juha Tenkku.

Time you met Louif Paradis? Probably at Stoneham with his brother, Alexis.

Step to building a good jump? Know where you want to land.

LAST: 

Time you went to a spot and didn’t shovel? Mont-Sainte-Anne Halfpipe World Cup, 1998.

Thing Jess Kimura DM’d you?  A reel titled “How to Handle Someone Who’s Always Right.”

Touch on any jump you build? Test it and hope it lines up with your landing.

CLICK HERE AND SUBSCRIBE TO SLUSH THE MAGAZINE TODAY! 

Ben's cameo in BITTERSWEET:

Ben's 2009 Videograss part: